A 30-year-old Zambian husband, James Branda, has taken legal action against his wife, Barbara, for what he terms as deceit.
James and his 29-year-old Barbara, who are both Jehovah witnesses, tied the knot in 2013, embarking on what seemed like a harmonious marital journey.
According to Mwebantu reports, their marriage began to fall after two years when Barbara finally mustered the courage to reveal a well-guarded secret that she has three children, not just the one she had previously claimed.
James said, “When we were about to get married she told me she had one child and I accepted because I also had one. Two years later she said she had three children and this came as a surprise to me”.
In his testimony, James told the court that he wanted to divorce his wife because he has no capacity to provide for the three children.
He added that he was also disappointed that his wife and her family did not tell him the truth from the beginning of their relationship.
Barbara pleaded with the court not to grant a divorce, even though her husband had taken a second wife.
Despite being separated for four years and her husband’s subsequent marriage to another woman, Barbara expressed her willingness to remain in a polygamous relationship due to her enduring love for him.
She said, “I asked for forgiveness from my husband after telling him and he forgave me but his family started forcing him to divorce me because of the past mistake”.
Given Barbara’s wishes, the court declined to dissolve the marriage and instructed the couple to come to an agreement before returning.”
